


find me in the dark

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/F, F/M, Family, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, M/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-08 02:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13448895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Most people wore the black markings freely on their unexposed skin, looking forward to meeting that special someone whose first touch would make colors rise from those inky depths. Prince Takumi of Hoshido was not one of them. And neither was Prince Leo of Nohr.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Idea is from (I think) Tumblr user fandangoing who wrote the following "...A soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns to millions of colors once they do..." They mentioned some examples and I was like HECK i want to try writing that
> 
> Focus is Leo/Takumi. Not beta'd. It is 3 A.M. and i have no chill
> 
> Edit: It is no longer 3 A.M. but i cannot say i have any more chill than before

Soulmate markings labeled pairs of people who were fated to live as one in spirit. There were no recorded cases of erroneous markings; every such connection proved its strength with time, and this guarantee produced generations of youth who eagerly anticipated meeting their romantic counterparts.

Prince Ryoma’s and Princess Hinoka’s markings were nearly identical in shape: a blob spanning the entire palm, stretching out into the fingers but not behind them, and with a smaller protrusion wrapping to the back of the hand from that curve between the thumb and the forefinger. But whereas Ryoma’s marking was black as night, Hinoka’s shone with all the colors that the light of day had to offer. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the collection of hues she held in her hand—no apparent pattern, no affinity of any sort of color to another. The lines of her palm could be laced with amethyst, sunk within layers of sky and cerulean, embellished with seafoam and rose. A single fingertip held flecks of gold and silver, sapphires and emeralds, fire and snow. The colors never changed, as if the myriad of dyes had settled in the pores of her skin, ready to spend their designated eternity there. Indeed, when a person finds his or her soulmate, the change is absolute and permanent. Hinoka’s marking evolved when she was thirteen, a young and upcoming pegasus knight found injured after crashing into the woods by a satirical monk who now, nine years later, acts as her loyal retainer.

Blackened palms were the most common mark in the population. The first form of physical contact tended to be a cordial handshake. Thus, many people believed that the best way to meet one’s soulmate was a proper introduction. Ryoma and Hinoka both possessed such markings, Ryoma’s on the right and Hinoka’s on the left. Ryoma’s mark could not be explained, as it had not yet evolved. But Hinoka’s mark had evolved with a twist: rather than a handshake, she had merely accepted Azama’s hand, which pulled her to standing after he healed her in the woods that fateful day. She could still vividly recall the moment her hand released his, and how they were both painted with millions of colors.

Not all markings were so typical, however. Kagero and Orochi wore their marks in several, rather curious, places on their bodies. Both of Orochi’s hands were stained black, as were her chest, the right side of her hip, and her right thigh. Complementary to these markings were the dark smudges on Kagero’s back, rear, and the backs of her legs.

...Orochi fell on Kagero when they were children.

Since then, they easily grew from being shy girls ashamed of their bruised bodies to self-assured women who wore their colors like proud, free birds. And theirs was a story they were fond of telling.

The sizes of soulmate markings varied greatly. Princess Sakura bore markings on nearly half her body—her left side and almost her entire back. This was concerning to her family, who was ferociously protective of her and assigned her only the best retainers for fear that her soulmate would turn out to be some sleazy degenerate. Still, Sakura did not let the markings control her lifestyle. She wore whatever the occasion called for and left Castle Shirasagi to do whatever needed to be done whenever it needed to be done, independent of the soot-covered appearance of her body.

Others endured greater pains to hide their markings. While some questioned such a deed, seeing it as a potential refusal of love or companionship, they saw this secrecy as necessary or inevitable. They would cover their marred fingers with gloves, or conceal their stained cheeks with makeup that only ever lasted for a few hours at most.

One such soul was Prince Xander of Nohr, who considered himself lucky that his gauntlets sufficiently covered the vibrant pigments in his right hand. He feared his colors when they first appeared; how should he convince dear Corrin that she was his sister when their soulmate markings told them otherwise? From the first time he held her small hand, the day after her entry into Nohr and the start of her life within the Northern Fortress, he hid the marks on his hand from her and all his other siblings, and kept this secret close even after his little princess sided against them in the war.

While Xander’s marking remained a mystery, Princess Camilla let the marking on her right hand show (as long as murder was not on her schedule; she adored her malig knight gauntlets). Prince Leo was no different, to his chagrin. Another marking on the right hand. He was no different than his siblings, no better or any more interesting than them. Princess Elise’s markings warranted a little more excitement: she bore black markings on not only one but _both_ hands. Unfortunately, this also prompted some scolding from Xander, as Elise developed a habit of greeting people with two hands and shaking them much too vigorously. Not the most polite greeting, for a princess.

Princess Corrin’s early exposure to the colors of soulmate markings gave her a skewed sense of how long it usually takes for one to meet their fated other. She knew her soulmate was out there since she was a child. Why shouldn’t it be the same for everyone else? She grew up believing in hope and chance and love, even if they had no names. Her evolved mark was a shock to her family in Hoshido, though her mother could only silently wish the best for her. Soulmate markings were permanent and absolute, after all.

Corrin liked to imagine that the wobbly lines on her mother’s cheek were drawn by hands full of warmth. They were faint, as if the fingers that brushed against her skin were gentle but also hesitant. Kind and genuine. Loving. Her mother deserved that in her lifetime, Corrin thought.

But Prince Takumi’s markings seemed to be the opposite. His were not on his hands like his older brother or sister’s. They were not spread thinly over his body like what he surmised was a hug from a more-than-friend, like Sakura’s mark. They weren’t scattered in seemingly random places, nor did they seem to be an accident like Kagero’s or Orochi’s. No, the edges of his mark were bold and even—certain. Takumi could only imagine his destined soulmate hating him. The location of his mark left no question.

Under the bandana Takumi tied securely around his neck every day, he wore the impression of a hand on his throat.

His soulmate was going to kill him.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO the royals don’t even engage in combat during ch6 revelations route but hahaha here i am making unnecessary fight scenes with poor mechanics because i’m trying desperately to make ~drama~ i apologize profusely

Nohr engaged Hoshido in battle. The day had finally come, Takumi thought grimly. The start of the war.

Takumi provided support for his siblings from afar, making sure that Ryoma’s fight with Xander remained between the two of them, as should Hinoka and Camilla’s. The Nohrians would fight fair; Takumi would see to that. He thought himself safe on the Hoshidan side of the river. The dusk country’s royalty rode on horseback and was consequently dependent on bridges that were few and far away. (The exception was Camilla, who Takumi expected to keep a distance due to her vulnerability to arrows.) The mage prince couldn’t approach him, and neither could the healer. Takumi felt like he had the upper hand.

There was one factor he had not considered, however: the presence of dragon veins. The river began to evaporate, covering the land in a dense fog. By the time Takumi realized what happened, it was too late. With the river dried up, the horses could easily cross over and close the distance he had previously felt so confident with.

 _Don’t panic,_ he thought. _Listen_. He heard Ryoma out north and the clanging of his sword against that of the Nohrian crown prince. Further south, he caught wind of a wyvern’s screech and the squeal of Hinoka’s pegasus. Though he lost track of Sakura, Takumi trusted her to find a safe space, and at least the loud blonde healer seemed the least imposing.

The problem was the mage. Takumi was running toward Hinoka’s purported location when the sound of quick and steady galloping grew louder from the west. He hastily notched an arrow in his bow and aimed into the fog. He spotted a black blur heading toward him and aimed into its center. The Nohrian changed his course in the nick of time; he must have anticipated the shot. Takumi cursed. The bright light of the Fujin Yumi was a giveaway, but so was the red glow conjured by a fire tome.

Takumi turned and ran as fast as he could. He glanced back to see a series of flames flying toward him. He leapt forward and rolled, successfully evading them, but if he didn’t do something soon he could meet his end here. He looked back in the direction of the mage. The magic had cleared some of the fog, and Takumi could see the face of his pursuer. It was that pretentious bastard with the gaudy headband and embarrassingly high collar. What did Corrin shout when she saw him? “Leo,” was it?

Argh, what should he do, what should he do?! The distance between them was rapidly shortening, and there was no way Takumi could outrun a horse. He could yell for Hinoka or Ryoma, but he doubted that they could abandon their own battles, and a part of Takumi wanted to prove that he was capable of taking care of himself. He readied another shot: blue light flashed a bowstring into existence, and he forced his concentration to a fine point. He took a chance and aimed at the horse. If Takumi couldn’t outrun him, he would make sure the other party couldn’t run at all.

The arrow buried itself in a nook near the stallion’s neck, in a spot free of any armor, and Takumi silently thanked the gods for his fortune. The horse bucked, throwing off its rider. Leo fell to the ground, and Takumi used his newly won time to prepare another shot, aimed right at the Nohrian prince. But… why was he just kneeling there? What was taking him so long? Why was his tome open and his lips… moving…?

“Get up!” Takumi demanded, his bow poised for an instant kill. “Stop your spell or I will end you!”

“Put down your bow!” Leo shouted back.

Takumi felt the ground beneath him crumble. Roots burst out of the ground and wove around his ankles, anchoring him to the spot. Before they reached his arms, he pulled back his string and—

Their eyes locked. Cold hatred met boiling rage and frustration, and Takumi’s arrow dissipated to nothing as soon as his fingers let it loose. He stared wide-eyed at his bow rendered useless, and realized that he could stumble backward. His legs were no longer trapped; the roots had retreated into the ground, their magic nullified.

Leo, though shocked, recognized an opening when he saw one, and knew when to take it. He lunged for Takumi in the midst of his confusion. His right hand went for the Hoshidan prince’s neck, and Leo knocked him to the ground. Takumi fought to loosen his grip, but Leo’s gauntlets were sharp and drew blood from his desperate fingers. Takumi flailed and kicked at Leo. He spat into his face and hissed, _“Nohrian scum_ ,” in a biting tone. Leo bore down on his body, using the weight of his armor to his advantage, and he decided that his grip on the Hoshidan’s throat wasn’t strong enough.

Leo remained there for several seconds more, until Takumi’s convulsions stilled and his eyes rolled back into his head. It wasn’t until he had gone limp that Leo became lucid, and realized what he had done.

Leo drew his hand back as if he had touched hot coals. He had no intention to kill Prince Takumi—only to subdue him long enough to take Corrin and run. Takumi wasn’t dead, Leo was sure of this. Why, then, was he filled with so much fear so suddenly? Leo felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. He was lightheaded, unable to pinpoint at what moment his breaths had become so short and shallow. He crawled backward, away from Takumi’s body. His eyes remained fixed there, as if he would suddenly reanimate and try to kill him again.

_Would he live?_

Leo swallowed hard. Why did it matter that a Hoshidan prince survived the outbreak of war? Shouldn’t his death be for the better? Who knew how many squads he led that would trouble Nohr later? Or did Leo fear the politics of it? That he only confirmed the Hoshidan people’s beliefs that Nohrians were cold and violent? But then again, why should he care?

The body remained unmoving. The two opposing princes were still shrouded by the fog from the river, though it had thinned enough for Leo to make out blurs of Camilla and the older Hoshidan princess fighting in the sky. Before he ran out of time, Leo crawled back to Takumi, leaned his ear close to the prince’s mouth and nose, and listened for his breathing. It was faint, but it was there. Leo couldn’t explain why, but he felt relieved.

He stood shakily, clutching the side where Takumi had kicked him repeatedly. He whistled for his horse and called for Elise. Walking alongside his steed, he made his way toward the direction of Elise’s shout, hoping she could do something about the wound in his horse’s poor shoulder before the trip home.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos!

Takumi woke with a start, only to learn he was in his room in Castle Shirasagi, with his little sister looking worriedly down at him, leaning forward in her seat at his bedside.

“Sakura?” he croaked. Gods, did his neck hurt.

“Brother,” she sighed, her expression relaxing, “you’re alright.”

“Ryoma and Hinoka?” Takumi asked of their siblings.

“Scrapes and bruises,” Sakura said. She smiled weakly, but then her composure broke and she punched her thighs angrily. “I thought you _died_ , Takumi! Hinoka saw you passed out in the field and I… I thought the worst…”

“Sorry,” Takumi mumbled, turning away.

Sakura wiped the fresh tears away from her eyes and shook her head. “You’re alright. That’s what matters. Corrin, however…”

“Corrin is a traitor.”

“…Let’s talk about that later, with big brother.” Sakura fiddled with her clothes a bit, then changed the subject. “A-anyway! Takumi, why didn’t you tell us you found your soulmate? I’m rather jealous, to tell you the truth.”

“ _What_?” Takumi’s head whipped around to look at Sakura, causing him to wince in pain. He reached for his neck, only to find that his bandana was missing. “Mirror,” he rasped.

“Oh! Oh, no…” Sakura stood and rummaged through his belongings for a looking glass. On other occasions this would have sparked his ire, but this was an emergency.

“Here.” She held a small handheld mirror before him.

Takumi sat up and adjusted its angle so he could see better. His reflection looked a mess: he had grime on his face and his loose hair stuck out in all sorts of directions from his head. He expected to see a pattern similar to Hinoka’s left hand in the place of the black mark on his neck. Instead, he saw islands of color floating in the black. There were smears of moss and fern, juniper and sage. In some places, like where he imagined his soulmate’s fingers would fit, the black transitioned to plum, then to something brighter like orchid or iris. Several spots looked like bruises, and Takumi wondered if these would change within the week. He noted several streaks of gold and crimson, though the mark was void of blue.

There wasn't supposed to be any black pigment left. He knew the change was incomplete, but  _why_?

“Who visited me while I was here?” Takumi asked.

“Your retainers, Oboro and Hinata,” Sakura answered. “Hinoka stopped by for a short while. Hana came to offer me company. O-of course she was also concerned—”

“Did anyone touch my neck?”

“No! W-well Oboro was curious, but it already looked like that when we brought you home. Nobody touched your neck, brother.” Sakura frowned. “Did you not notice when your mark changed?”

Takumi gritted his teeth. If what Sakura said was true, then there was only one possibility. And damn him if he was going to accept that Nohrian snake as his soulmate.

“No,” Takumi answered, “I don’t know who it is.”

 

* * *

 

Corrin refused to choose a side, spurning Nohr and Hoshido alike.

Xander was crestfallen. He reported to King Garon as necessary, but when out of the eyes of his father and his retainers, the military, and the public, he was more withdrawn and solemn—confused, even. Why, he was once found wandering the storage rooms of Castle Krakenburg, until one of the maids gathered enough courage to ask if he was looking for something, and Xander replied that he did not know where he was.

Leo had a sinking suspicion of the identity of Xander’s soulmate. There were only so many reasons to hide a mark from a sibling, and even fewer reasons to become so forlorn after a _specific_ family member left them.

A soulmate was a weakness, Leo thought. For the most part, he was happy to not have found his own. He had enough worries as it was, and the frivolities of romance weren’t worth the time or effort. Already, he suffered bouts of unnecessary excitement whenever he met someone new. He was indifferent to whether he greeted people with gloved or bare hands—whether his mark showed or not. But at the end of each day, when he steeled himself to the solitude of his quarters, he would reflect upon who he had touched and examine his right hand for the slightest change in color.

Leo had read several studies conducted on the nature of soulmate markings. He knew that wool, cotton, silk, and most other cloths had negligible effects on their transformation. However, metals like iron, steel, and lead often had inhibitory properties. Most recorded cases of metal interference were of armored soldiers who fought in the same army. For example, one knight reported a change after sparring with a dear friend—both of them clad in old, damaged armor—when contact slipped through the cracks of their corroded plates. History also spoke of clans that intentionally used their armor for the dual purpose of protecting them from blows to the body and to the heart, as soulmate bonds were not always opportune, nor were they necessarily compatible with their societal norms. Still, the evolution of markings varied case-by-case—some interactions bled through the metal, and others not at all. As such, soulmate markings continued to be a mystery for even the most zealous researchers. It was a vexing subject, really.

Though Leo was aware of the aforementioned records and more, it all mattered little to him. He doubted that he would meet his fated partner on the battlefield, and the feeling grew stronger the closer he strayed toward the Hoshidan border. His soulmate would hail from Nohr—there was no question (though he wouldn’t cross Cyrkensia or Cheve off his list, either). So he dutifully wore his steel gauntlets to every battle, caging his heart without fear of consequence, just like Xander and Camilla did.

Shortly after his return to Nohr, when he was finally alone in his room, Leo examined his right hand bare. He perceived no change; it was stained darker than the neighboring woods at midnight. Leo sighed his pithy disappointment, but he was not surprised.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> behold  
> my disappointment is also yours
> 
> also @anon i am actually just a literal piece of trash with a keyboard and have no idea what i'm doing because this is the most impulsive fic i've ever written,  
> but thanks

The Hoshidan guard reported that Corrin had come to appeal for aid at Fort Jinya. They attacked on sight, as ordered, but her forces tore through their defenses, and when they left, they took Sakura and her retainers with them. Hinoka was enraged after hearing this news—Ryoma had gone missing, and now _this_? But Saizo stressed that his brother Kaze had joined them as well, and that Sakura’s own retainers were among the most disciplined in all of Hoshido.

Still, things weren’t looking good for the dawn country. Takumi had been captured by a Nohrian trickster in Izumo, as did his retainers, Orochi, and Archduke Izana. Zola, their captor, was a filthy, scrawny little coward who had the type of jaw that Takumi’s fist would have _loved_ to become acquainted with. The six prisoners sat tethered to the walls of what was once the banquet hall, praying that someone would come to rescue them. If not that, then they at least hoped for a chance to fight back. But Nohrian tactics were underhanded and dishonorable; Takumi should know better than to expect anything more from them. He struggled against his bonds and growled in frustration when they failed to budge.

Orochi’s head snapped up. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Hinata asked.

“The blast!”

“What bla—?”

“ _Shh_!” Oboro hissed.

The Hoshidans stilled themselves and listened quietly. Faraway shouts traveled down the halls, filtering through the paper screens of the archduke’s manor.

“Who could that be?” Takumi asked.

“I think it’s Lady Corrin!” Izana said.

They sat and listened to the ever-nearing sounds of battle. There were various screams and shouts, the clanging of metal against metal, the genesis of various spells and the summoning of spirits. Takumi grew restless. He was _dying_ to get out there and knock some sense into those ugly Nohrian skulls. Soon enough, the action came to the door of their makeshift prison. They could hear Corrin clearly from the other side as she demanded the archduke’s release. The Hoshidans exchanged looks, thinking their freedom was near, until—

“Ho! Look at my adorable hostage!”

“ _CORRIN_!”

Takumi bolted upright. “That was Sakura’s scream! SAKURA!” He struggled harder, yelling, “Hey—LET HER GO!”

“Lord Takumi, they can’t hear us,” Orochi said. “The door is charmed.”

Takumi snapped, “We have to do _something_.”

Izana raised his eyebrows. “There’s someone else here.”

The Hoshidans looked at Izana for an explanation, but almost immediately turned away, bracing themselves from the explosion. Zola shrieked. Scraps of wood flew across the room, and billows of dust fell from the forcibly opened doorway.

“The real archduke should be inside,” said a cold, assured voice that made Takumi’s stomach churn. He looked Prince Leo in the eye and glared as hard as he could, not caring for his damned _charity_ in the slightest.

(He briefly had the thought that Leo’s magic could have killed him during their first encounter, but he negated it with the thought that he, too, could have killed Leo, if he really wanted to.)

Leo urged his steed backward. He returned Takumi’s stare and added, “Along with the _pathetic_ Prince Takumi.” Without a further word, and without sparing a glance at anyone else, Leo fled.

He would tell no one that he still feared the second Hoshidan prince.

 

* * *

 

Fate worked in some strange fucking ways, Takumi thought. First, his soulmate was destined to strangle him on sight. Then, the great dragon gods declared that Takumi _absolutely must without exception_ join Corrin’s ragtag army of traitors. And now, he was forced to endure the sight of Hoshido’s #1 Couple, snogging it up in some random cave in Mokushu, immediately following a _grand_ and _valiant_ rescue.

“I missed you,” Orochi whispered, resting her forehead against Kagero’s.

“I’m sorry. If I didn’t get caught—” Kagero started.

“Shh, none of that,” Orochi interrupted, pressing a finger to her partner’s lips. “It’s okay. You’re safe now, love.”

Takumi tilted his head back and groaned at the sky.

Could the gods hear his agony? He sure hoped so.

Corrin laughed. “Haven’t found your soulmate yet, Takumi?”

Takumi gave her a look. “I still don’t trust you. Why would I want to talk about _love_ and… and mushy feelings with you? We’re in the middle of a war.”

She shrugged. “It helps keep me going.” She stripped the glove on her left hand and examined the colors on her palm. “I like to think that I will be reunited with my soulmate again someday.” Then her eyes grew tired. “I just hope I’ll recognize them when they come back to me.”

Takumi frowned. Providence had failed them both. This, they had in common. “You really don’t know who it was?”

Corrin shook her head, running her right thumb down her vibrant palm. “It’s been like this since I was taken to Nohr.”

“…Do you mind if I asked what they were like?” Takumi asked, fiddling with his bandana. “Your family there, I mean.”

“I love all of them. Elise was a like the sun. She always knew how to bring a smile to my face. Camilla spoils me too much, I think. She, um… is a big fan of skinship…” She cleared her throat. “Leo—”

Takumi listened attentively here.

“—can be difficult. He’s a bit too strict sometimes—some say he’s arrogant, too—but he has a big heart. Anyone who knew him long enough would be able to tell. As for Xander…” Corrin bit her lip. “I’d hate to put any of them before the other, but it especially hurts to think of Xander. He taught me much of what I know. What I’d give to see him again…”

He felt sorry for her, but he wasn’t particularly excited to see any more Nohrians around. So he vaguely said, “One day,” and left it at that.

Soon after, Corrin left him to review the army’s plans with Azura. Takumi remained where he was and reflected on their discourse.

Prince Leo? _A big heart?_ Takumi scoffed. He dearly wished he could imagine the man being anything but a thorn in his side, but, _boy_ , did that take a lot of creativity.

His “soulmate.” What a letdown. Takumi wondered if the remaining obsidian in his mark meant that divine mercy was leaving his options open. It was a silly thought, but humor had a better taste than bitter disappointment.

He snuck another glance at Kagero and Orochi, standing close with their fingers intertwined as they updated each other on the events of the war. They looked good together, regardless of whether Takumi could stomach it or not. Kagero gave Orochi strength and vice versa. He’d once hoped his soulmate would be that for him. His rock. His anchor. Now, he wasn’t sure if he wanted one at all. Judging by his reaction in Izumo, Leo didn’t want one, either.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Leo received word that Camilla had joined Corrin’s army. A second report explained that Cyrkensia had been devastated (or _attempted_ to explain it; no one knew who was responsible). Xander had seen Corrin for the first time in weeks, and though Leo expected him to return to Nohr with a fury, he simply stated that Corrin was alive with what seemed to be relief. This factored well into Leo’s plans; he had been troubled by what Corrin told him about an unnamable manipulator, and his father’s recent behavior only added to his trepidation. He urged Xander to investigate this as well. Alarmed by what he saw, Xander decided that the two of them should make haste to reach Corrin’s army before the skies changed.

Castle Krakenburg was becoming more and more empty. Notably, the identity of Camilla’s soulmate was revealed just before her departure: Niles said something he shouldn’t have (again), and Camilla slapped him clean across the face without paying any mind to the black smudge that spanned his cheek. When Niles saw the colors on Camilla’s hand… Well, Leo could honestly say that he’d never seen his retainer so happy to receive pain.

Oddly, his second retainer never spoke of his soulmate. Everyone knew that Odin had been found; he bore the variegated shape of a hand in the center of his chest, and the dark mage uniform left little to the imagination. But no matter where they traveled, Odin refused to meet his partner, insisting that he could only allow himself that luxury at the end of the war. The thought was bittersweet to Leo. He’d grown rather fond of Odin, and this sounded an awful lot like he planned to say goodbye.

Xander, Leo, and their retainers caught up with Corrin’s army in the woods flanking the Bottomless Canyon. And what superb timing—they’d been caught in an ambush. The two groups cut down their enemies, moving in from opposite sides of the decaying woods. They convened in time to defeat Iago together, which Leo took great pleasure in. The two princes were finally reunited with the rest of their siblings—Corrin included. She ran into Xander’s arms as soon as the fighting was over. Leo rolled his eyes. At least Elise was excited to see him again.

“Leo!” she hollered, barreling toward him at full speed.

He caught her and returned her hug with a laugh. “You look well, Elise.”

“I’m _more_ than well!” She took his hands and shook them vigorously. “Leo, guess what! I found my soulmate!”

Leo’s smile faded. “You did?”

“Yeah, yeah! Get a load of this!” Elise peeled off her gloves and spread her palms wide so Leo could see. They were marbled with more colors than he could count, as if someone had torn the rainbows from the skies, splattered them onto the stars, and laid a dozen galaxies on her small hands. It was stunning.

Elise pointed at the semicircle of people around Corrin. “You see that guy over there with the silver hair? That’s Silas. He’s a paladin.”

Leo followed the trajectory of her finger. He recognized her soulmate as a knight in the Nohrian army. The name was familiar as well. Yes… If Leo recalled correctly, Odin had mentioned a man by the name of Silas who was into some “pretty weird stuff.” Niles bluntly said the guy’s soul marks were kinky, to which Odin responded that he perhaps enjoyed being manhandled.

Turns out those shackle-like marks were the result of Elise and her wrist grabbing habit. Figures.

“He’s super sweet,” Elise continued. “He says he was Corrin’s best friend in the past. Can you believe that? He almost got executed by father for it, though…”

“Did he?” Leo said inattentively, letting his eyes wander. He made a mental note to acquaint himself with the other members of the army as soon as he could. He recognized Princess Sakura… Princess Hinoka… Prince Ryoma… and—

Prince Takumi met his eyes.

_Gods!_

Leo looked away and cursed himself for it. He eagerly continued his conversation with Elise, hoping the other man would forget about him and move on with his life. To his dismay, he saw Takumi approaching from his peripheral vision, and had to fight his impulse to run or else look like an utter _fool_!

Takumi stood across Leo, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

_Calm, now!_

“You’re joining us,” Takumi said. A question or statement, Leo didn’t know. It was too monotone.

“Prince Takumi,” Elise began, “this is my brother—!”

“Prince Leo,” he finished. “We’ve met.”

Leo mustered what confidence he had left and replied, “We didn’t meet on the best terms before. I would like to apologize. I’m sure you understand it was a stressful situation for both of us, to put it gently.”

Takumi raised his eyebrows and remained silent.

Condescending. Leo could have cursed him, the cocky little brat.

“ _Leooo_ ,” Elise groaned, “don’t be so stiff.” To Takumi, she said, “Sorry. I think he’s grumpy because I just told him I found my soulmate.” She reached for Leo’s face and started to tease him. “He’s probably just jealous ‘cause he hasn’t found his own yet!”

“That’s nonsense,” Leo growled, swatting her hands away.

“Leo’s jeeealouuus,” Elise sang, poking his cheeks. “Oooh, so _jealous_ … Haha!”

“I am _not_!”

“Hold on a second,” Takumi interjected. “Are you saying he doesn’t have any colors?”

Leo hadn’t expected how easily his apprehension toward the man could turn into irritation.

“I haven’t met my soulmate yet.” Leo snapped, “Is that a problem? I didn’t think _you_ would be concerned about such matters, Prince Takumi.”

Takumi’s brow furrowed. He looked at Leo with what could have been sorrow, but Leo thought himself mistaken, for in his mind there was nothing in their conversation that warranted such a reaction.

“ _No_ , it’s not a problem,” Takumi answered, and he could not dam the anger seeping into his words. “I shouldn’t have pried. Sorry.”

He left them to rejoin the larger group, but even from afar, one could clearly see that his atmosphere had changed.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wishes for takumi to have a happy life*
> 
> My ability to write action is abysmal, please bear with me haha

Was Leo his soulmate?

I-it’s not like he particularly _wanted_ Leo as his soulmate. Takumi was pretty sure he could live without him. What really got him going was that Leo hadn’t the slightest clue what he’d been going through ever since they’d fought that day at the border. While Takumi had been battling thoughts of “Why doesn’t my mark look right?” and “Why am I tied to an enemy country’s prince?” and “Why the hell is my soulmate such a freaking asshole?” Leo had been going about his life as if nothing had changed.

Man, was he clueless for a guy everyone praised for his intelligence.

But… he shouldn’t place all the blame on Leo, should he? After all, Leo’s mark didn’t change. He sincerely didn’t know—he _couldn’t_ know, even if he wanted to.

This meant that Takumi was the only one who knew they were soulmates. He could decide whether to let Leo into his life or not, and Leo wouldn’t be the wiser. He could condemn that smug bastard to a life without meeting his supposed partner. Of course, that meant Takumi wouldn’t have one either, but his wouldn’t be the first case of voluntary rejection.

The picture had become more complex, however. The happenings at the top of the Bottomless Canyon resulted in the introduction of new, unwanted feelings for Takumi.

He was starting to think that Leo might actually be a _good guy_.

To make a long story short, Corrin felt that she needed to tell a secret attached to a disappearing curse to convince the army to jump off a bridge. Xander protested immediately, and to the army’s surprise, so did Leo. He rebuked her for even thinking of leaving them again when everyone gathered before her had fought so hard to reach this point.

“We need you,” he pleaded. “Don’t take the risk.”

Afterward, Takumi watched Leo lean closer to Xander, caught his lips forming the word “soulmate” as he pointed to his brother’s right hand, and perceived what was definitely a blush accompanying the Nohrian crown prince’s smile.

(Takumi’s own brother was not so lucky with his love. Scarlet perished during the free fall, murdered by an unidentified entity. Takumi offered his comfort to Ryoma in the few ways he knew how, largely because he’d caught a glimpse of Ryoma’s newly evolved mark, and had seen the way he looked at Scarlet in the army’s downtime.)

Tragedy aside, what Takumi gleaned from this experience was that Leo looked out for the people he treasured. And that he had faith in soulmate marks, apparently.

But was Leo his soulmate? This question had been nagging at Takumi ever since. He didn’t want to believe that his colors—though limited—were a mistake. People believed in the marks for a reason. There was reason in this. There had to be.

This called for an investigation. 

 

* * *

 

“Spar with me,” Takumi told Leo one day. It was completely out of the blue.

“Pardon?” was Leo’s immediate reply. He was just studying in the astral plane’s library, minding his own business. He certainly did not expect Prince Takumi to come in, pull out the seat across of him, plop his rump so comfortably atop it, and ask to spend time with him as if they were suddenly chummy with each other.

Leo also felt strange about their most recent interaction. The distance he since created was intentional, but he wouldn’t admit that. It would sound as if he was sacrificing an embarrassingly large amount of mental energy thinking of Takumi. Which, of course, he was not.

“You were trained with a sword as well, correct?” Takumi asked.

“Yes, but I prefer tomes to pointy metal sticks.”

“I want to gauge your abilities. To see if you live up to the high esteem everyone else seems to hold you to.”

“True strength is more than simple swordplay.”

“Oh no, I agree. But if you’re carrying one around anyway, you might as well know how to use it.”

“I know how to use a sword.”

“Prove it.”

Leo scoffed. “Aren’t there others who can help you train, if that’s what you’re after? Hinata or… Hana, maybe?”

The corner of Takumi’s mouth quirked.

“You’re chicken.”

Leo’s jaw dropped.

“You _know_ I’m better with a katana than you are with a sword, and you’re just too afraid to—”

“Hold it right there,” Leo interrupted. “Are you _really_ trying to goad me with the old ‘chicken’ ploy?”

Takumi did not answer. He only began softly clucking while maintaining full, unwavering eye contact with Leo.

Dear dragons, how could he be so shameless?!

“Stop that,” Leo grumbled.

The clucking continued without pause, gradually increasing in volume.

“…Bock… bock bock bock…”

“ _Stop_!” Leo slammed a hand on the desk, secretly at war within himself to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

“Ba- _kawk_! Bock bock bock…!” Takumi was leaning forward now.

Leo stood. “I am _not_ afraid of you!”

Takumi rose to his height. “Then spar with me!”

“Why?!”

“ _Because_!”

They locked eyes, both of them refusing to back down. Leo raised an eyebrow and waited. Takumi glared, still fishing around his head for a proper response.

Leo sighed. “Fine.” He couldn’t get any work done like this, anyway.

Takumi threw his fist triumphantly up in the air.

“But I’m doing this for Corrin,” Leo quickly added. “She said Xander and I should try harder to get along with the rest of the army. That’s all.”

“ _Suuure_. Okay,” Takumi replied in mock agreement. He turned to leave, and on his way out he called, “Dishonor’s on Nohr if you stand me up!”

Leo sat down and slouched in his chair.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_  

 

* * *

 

“Do you always wear that bandana?” Leo asked Takumi. They were in a field just outside of camp, and the summer heat was sweltering.

Takumi shot back, “Do you always wear that look like everything’s a lie and you need to get to the bottom of it?”

Leo smirked. “Is the sky really blue? Or is it the particles in it that are blue? If the latter is true, but the sky is comprised primarily of those particles, can we still say the sky itself is blue?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Socrates.” Takumi twirled the wooden practice katana in his hands, getting a feel for his weapon. “How about you shut up and fight me? I still have my revenge to claim.”

“Give it all you’ve got,” Leo replied, assuming a combat-ready stance.

Oh, Leo could count on that. Takumi wouldn’t waste this opportunity. Not when they had both agreed to train in plainclothes, and it was so rare to see Leo without gloves.

Takumi made the first move. Leo allowed Takumi to knock his sword aside, but he quickly rebounded and lunged for a counterattack. Takumi leapt backward, but could not evade in time. Leo spun and attempted a second blow, but Takumi used that time to find a predictably vulnerable area and swung at it. He didn’t expect Leo to adjust so fast while maintaining his momentum. Takumi’s katana clashed with his sword.

“Is that the best you can do?” Leo sneered.

Takumi reassured him, “I’m just getting started!”

Takumi pivoted, freeing himself from their stalemate. He faked a swing, so that when he landed he could spin to an opening, and he successfully landed a blow to Leo’s side.

“Hah!”

Leo leapt back, wincing. Why did he ever think this would be an O.K. idea?

Takumi, on the other hand, was fully cognizant of his agenda.

He had to see those hands!

He carefully observed Leo’s movements, trying to predict his next move. When Leo charged forward, Takumi tracked his blade. He countered with just enough force to redirect it, but maintained the contact. He trapped Leo’s arm and turned his katana in order to tug Leo down. Leo pulled away, but not before Takumi landed a blow to his shoulder. It wasn’t forceful, but the maneuver caught him off guard.

Leo cussed. Takumi laughed.

Their exchanges intensified in strength and complexity as time elapsed. Leo fought well, but Takumi had more stamina, and eventually Leo’s sword was knocked clean out of his hands. Leo attempted to retrieve it, but Takumi dropped his own sword, grabbed Leo’s arm and the opposite shoulder, tangled a leg around his, and knocked it forward, toppling Leo to the ground. Leo struggled to free himself, but Takumi caught his thrashing arms and pinned him to the grassy earth by his wrists, arms splayed out just above his head.

There it was. He could clearly see the mark on Leo’s right hand.

It was black as slate. Not a single perceptible color, even after all their roughhousing. Perhaps the reaction was still location-specific. Takumi was itching to know whether his own mark changed from all this body contact; maybe his was more manipulable.

Should he try to touch Leo’s hand? Would that be too obvious? Did he even want their bond to be revealed this way?

Unless, of course, he was wrong about them being soulmates, and nothing would change, regardless.

All the while Takumi was immersed in these thoughts, Leo laid there under him in weary surrender. The two princes were breathing heavily from the exertion, and Leo could feel his heart thrumming in his chest. His vision was confined to Takumi, who eclipsed mostly everything aside from a halo of cerulean sky. Leo could see beads of perspiration trailing down the frame of his face, and the bits of his hair that clung to his partially exposed forehead. Leo admired the quality of his skin, unconsciously noting the fine shape of his chapped lips. Takumi’s light brown eyes were focused somewhere above him, until they traveled lower, to where Leo was looking right up at him…

Leo gulped.

“I… uh…” Takumi stammered, his gaze darting wildly between Leo’s eyes. “I win?”

“Get off me.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> コケコッコ？？？？？？
> 
> @AnneCathaway: i don't have a good answer for you, but i'm trying to hint at something with Leo and Takumi's relationship that is generally true for most bonds. i guess my best answer right now is, "uhhh... magic stuff."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be less frequent. Will definitely post by next weekend, though.

The army had found a feasible route to Castle Gyges, but deferred their invasion in order to make preparations and recharge physically, mentally, and in some cases, emotionally.

One lazy afternoon in the astral plane, Sakura was walking along the lake when she came across a tree with a wide, inviting canopy. A yawn escaped her; she must not have slept enough the night before. She made her way to the shelter of the tree and seated herself at the base of its trunk. A moment’s worth of rest couldn’t hurt.

Just as she began to doze off, a voice called her name. Sakura started awake to find Kaden eyeing her curiously. She sighed with relief. The kitsune had defended her on numerous occasions, and she respected his belief in giving back what was justly due.

He asked if she was taking a nap, and Sakura blushed her embarrassment. But rather than patronizing her, Kaden offered to join in; kitsunes took meticulous care of their coats, and if Sakura was willing, he wouldn’t mind napping together. With a flash of ethereal light, Kaden transformed into a great white fox, embellished with red. Oh, but what was that gray stripe along his side?

Sakura considered his offer. It seemed harmless enough—comfy and cozy at best. The thought of having company was nice, and his fur sure looked soft.

Kaden paced tiny circles before settling down. He curled up on the ground and glanced at Sakura. She approached the kitsune, intent on a spot that seemed to fit her perfectly. Kaden unfurled his tail and waited for her to snuggle up into his side and get comfortable before laying it back down where it was.

Sakura closed her eyes encased in smooth silver, and woke to shining slivers of beautiful, endless color.

 

* * *

 

Leo wasn’t sure why there was such a huge commotion on the Hoshidan side of camp, but he was about to find out. In truth, the main reason he left his quarters was that he could hear Takumi’s absurdly loud laughter from halfway across the astral plane! As Leo approached, he learned the reason for his jubilation:

“It was a _nap_!” Takumi whooped.

…There were many questions left unanswered.

Leo recognized Elise in the crowd and approached her. “What’s going on?”

She jumped. “Woah! Leo! What are you doing here?”

“Can I not take a casual stroll through the camp?”

“Not where fun stuff is happening.”

Leo waited for her to apologize.

She did not. “Have you ever seen Sakura’s soulmate mark?”

“Can’t say I have. I’ve heard it’s considerably large, though.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Elise confirmed. “It’s, like, on half her body! It was one of the biggest mysteries in Hoshido for a while, so everyone wants to know what happened.”

“Did it involve a nap?” Leo asked flatly.

Elise gasped. “How’d you know?”

“That one.” Leo pointed at the proud brother holding Sakura captive in his arms as he ruffled her hair. He was beaming, and his laughter was contagious: even after Sakura complained about Takumi’s overenthusiasm and shoved him away, she was caught up in a giggle fit as well.

“This must be a really happy day for her,” Elise said. “She said she didn’t mind her mark, but you could tell she thought about it a lot. Can you imagine how neat it must look now, though?”

If it looked anything like the shimmery patch peeking out from her sleeves—like minuscule dragon scales dusting over her skin—then yes, he could.

But Leo found his mind wandering to Takumi. How was it that Leo interacted with Takumi the most out of the Hoshidan royalty, but knew nothing of his mark? He was aware of the status and general location of Ryoma’s, Hinoka’s, and Sakura’s, but couldn’t even say for certain whether Takumi had colors. He’d only assumed.

Would that be a rude question to ask? Leo felt exposed now that he knew Takumi had seen his mark but not vice versa.

Wait, why did that matter?!

Leo looked over Takumi once more. He was covered from neck to toe, as usual. More modest than many of the women Leo knew, that one. He wouldn’t be finding any hints today, but at least it was nice to see Takumi wearing a smile. It really suited him.

…Uh, oh.

“Elise?”

“Yep?”

“Do you know where Camilla is right now?”

 

* * *

 

“ _Camilla_ ,” Leo wheezed. He had sprinted to the armory, where Camilla was assigned a shift that evening.

“Oh? Leo,” Camilla answered. “This is a surprise. What’s the matter?”

Leo scanned the room, confirming that they were the only ones in earshot. “I have a problem. And I don’t quite know how to go about solving it.”

“I’m happy you felt like confiding in me.”

“Elise is too idealistic. I don’t think she would take my concern seriously.”

“What is it, then? You can tell your big sister anything. Unless it’s about disowning Corrin. I still haven’t recovered from that so-called joke.”

“No, it’s nothing of that nature. It’s…” Leo bit his lip. “…more personal.”

Camilla waited patiently for Leo to continue.

Leo began to pace. “Well, recently I’ve been paying particular attention to someone. When they are around, I get anxious of what they will think of me, and I constantly worry about making a fool of myself. This is something that doesn’t happen a lot, usually. No, usually, I’m sure of myself and my abilities. To a fault, as you sometimes say.

“On top of that, I get… palpitations, and my hands sweat. And I’ve been checking my collar religiously just to make sure that on the off chance I cross paths with them, I will look presentable. I don’t want to think about this person, but they can’t escape my mind no matter how hard I try.”

“…Is that all?” Camilla asked.

“Yes.”

His sister concluded, “You seem to care a lot about them. Could fate be pulling you together? Maybe there is no problem.”

Leo shook his head. “We are not soulmates.” He presented her his hand. “We’ve touched before… on numerous occasions. A-and my colors still haven’t shown.”

Camilla brought her hand to her mouth. “Leo…”

He sensed the urgency in her voice. “What?”

“Attraction to anyone other than your soulmate is frowned upon. You know that, right?”

“…Yes.”

“I think you have _that_. It’s called…” Camilla searched for the word; it was not one she commonly used, as there were so few cases she personally knew of.

“Ah! That’s it!” She remembered, “A ‘crush.’”

No.

Dear gods, _no_.

How could he have let this happen?!

“Dusk dragon, save my soul,” Leo whispered in horror, bracing himself on the counter.

_I think I have a crush on Prince Takumi._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did not structure the plot like this just to make that joke fyi  
> but hey in a society where the majority probably waits out finding their soulmates rather than carelessly dating, i think crushes would have a stigma, i really did think about this
> 
> i also like to refer to this chapter as "sakura becomes rainbow fish au"
> 
> hope you enjoyed  
> i know this was really irreverent and i'm sorta treating leo like a dumb boob but next chapter will be more serious
> 
> i love your comments!! they help me know whether i'm heading in a good direction. (if you have complaints pls be gentle i'm sensitive)  
> thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keep in mind that i don’t actually care about accurately describing the canon revelations plot.  
> apologies to those who have not played revelations. i don't think it's important to fill in the blanks because the blanks themselves are unimportant, but uh yeah spoilers i guess?

The army came across a boy named Anthony, a Valla native who offered to lead the army through an easier path to Castle Gyges.

The path was _not_ easier, and Leo could cite several reasons for hoarding grudges against the boy. The among the first indications of Anthony’s betrayal was his assurance that the bridges connecting Valla’s floating islands were stable enough to cross. This claim was quickly refuted at the risk of losing someone Leo (reluctantly) cared a whole lot about.

Xander was the first to notice the bridge collapsing, then Ryoma.

“We have to go!”

“Cross quickly!”

At the far end of the bridge, the cubic stone segments began to degrade, falling like sand, then gravel, then an avalanche of rocks into a void of sky and cloud. The remaining persons from the group raced to their allies on the other side, but Takumi trailed behind. Leo only turned back when he heard the scream.

Takumi wouldn’t make it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Leo rushed over, hurriedly dismounted his horse, and leaned over the edge of the floating island to which Takumi was clinging for dear life.

“Prince Takumi, take my hand!”

Takumi didn’t give it a second thought (as the hope of rescue from a near-death situation tends to occasion). He reached for Leo’s hand and gripped it firmly, relying on his strength to pull him to safety.

When his feet finally met solid ground, Takumi knelt there gasping, still distraught from the suddenness of the ordeal. Leo stayed close and soothed him until he calmed down, while Xander interrogated Anthony with barely restrained rage.

The army continued to press forward with little consequence to the decidedly suspicious Vallite. Without bringing attention to himself, Leo beckoned Niles close and sternly informed him that he did not trust Anthony, and that the boy was not—under any circumstances—permitted to leave Niles’ sight.

 

* * *

 

Anthony lied.

Takumi was thankful that enough sense had diffused into Corrin’s thick skull to know the kid was a sketchy character, but he admittedly could have gone his entire life without seeing a human transform into a faceless.

Takumi sunk a little deeper into the warm pool of the hot springs. It had been a long day, and he had waited until the late evening to clean the toils of battle from his body. He was thankful that the army had the astral plane to escape to. Its security wasn’t always guaranteed, but it was still a luxury that many armies could not boast of.

Takumi looked at his hands. He figured that love was a frivolous thing to occupy oneself with in times as dire as theirs, but sitting there alone in such a wide room, with only the crickets and the echoes of trickling water to keep him company, his mind began to wander.

Leo had touched him with his right hand. Takumi remembered this because it had fit perfectly in his left hand earlier that day. And though Takumi had wondered before if he might develop a new mark if Leo’s made certain contact with him, there was nothing.

(Leo’s mark didn’t change, either. Takumi was only aware of this because he bribed Elise for the intel with the prospect of joining one of her future tea parties—but no one needed to know.)

So there was only one logical test remaining:

Leo had to choke him again. Probably.

Takumi sighed. He couldn’t just _ask_ Leo to put his hands on his neck. That was an intimate place, he was loath to admit.

Was hiding worth the effort anymore? Should he just tell Leo the truth? Were they close enough for him to understand?

Suddenly, there were footsteps padding in from the doorway. Takumi swore under his breath. He thought he came late enough to avoid company, but it seemed he was wrong. He reached for his towel and wrapped it sloppily around his neck as he retreated to the far end of the shallow pool.

The intruder stopped at the doorway when he spotted Takumi. Likewise, Takumi froze.

What was that saying? Speak of the devil, and he shall appear?

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Leo asked, covering himself with his towel.

“ _Me_?!” Takumi bristled. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I always come at this time. And I _always_ get the hot springs to myself.”

“Well, I missed _my_ personal slot because we were fighting bad guys all day. So I’m going to stay here. Deal with it.”

Leo made a face, but yielded his protests and submerged his naked self shoulder-deep into the water. He didn’t look in Takumi’s direction after his earlier mistake, but he had seen enough to ask: “Why are you wearing a towel on your neck?”

Takumi said nothing. He considered the direction he would like his future to take, and decided that his secrecy was no longer worth the trouble. Resigned, he took a deep breath, removed the towel from his neck, and placed it on the ground where it was dry.

Leo glanced over, his eyes drawn by Takumi’s movements and by sheer curiosity.

His heart sank when he saw the mark on Takumi’s neck.

“You found your soulmate?”

Takumi looked at him quizzically, as if Leo had just asked what the capital of his home country was. Then he snorted amusedly, his mouth curling into a knowing smirk.

“You _jealous_?” he purred, cocking his head slightly.

Insufferable. Truly insufferable.

…But he had a point.

“Gods,” Leo chuckled, “everyone’s leaving me behind. First Xander and Corrin, then Camilla and Elise. Even the Hoshidan royalty and Azura all have their colors. Maybe I am a bit jealous. Yeah.”

Takumi was watching him, which Leo took as permission for him to stare as well. He couldn’t help but notice that Takumi’s mark was a bit… strange.

“Why does it look like that?”

Leo regretted the question almost as soon as it left his mouth. He should have known it was a source of insecurity.

Takumi only shrugged. “My soulmate doesn’t know where I am. It was an accident.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “An accident on your neck?”

“Yup. That’s how it was.”

There was so much more that Leo wanted to ask, but he stayed his tongue and took the philosophical route. “Do you think soulmate marks take away our freedom of choice? That we have no say in whom we fall in love with, and that we are simply puppets to fate?”

To Leo’s surprise, Takumi took his question seriously.

“I do, actually,” he answered. “I thought the marks were a sentence. Everyone has so much faith in them, but what if they’re wrong? What if people are only shaping their lives to adapt to their matches, rather than finding someone they can truly cherish?”

“Yes! Exactly!” Leo replied. “And how much hardship do people endure with the thought that someday it will all be worth it? If you’re to manipulate someone, the heart is where to strike. That’s why my siblings and I actively protect ourselves against this. I just didn’t think I’d be the only one left…”

“‘ _Protect_ ’?” Takumi looked ready to kill.

“Nohrian steel,” Leo vaguely explained, leaning away in the pool, apprehensive.

“You _knew_ and you still took the risk?!” Takumi seethed. “Does your country not even bother with transmission charms?”

“Does Hoshido—?”

“Of COURSE Hoshido does! How the hell do you think Ryoma found Scarlet? Can you imagine what his life would become if he never at least had that knowledge before she died? Did you even stop to consider how the other person might feel when you block them out like that? If they’re never found? If there’s something _wrong_ with them?”

Leo floundered for words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was such a sensitive topic…”

“Just shut up.” Takumi stood up out of the water, wrapped his towel around himself, and stormed out, muttering, “I was starting to think you were okay, too. Turns out you’re still the biggest dunce on the continent.”

“Wait, Takumi—!”

Takumi answered with his middle finger, and did not turn back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sprinkles in a lil’ more bullshit*  
> the logic and indulgence of this fic are inversely related pls forgive me
> 
> @Miunish: A valid concern.  
> Sadistic me likes the idea that Anankos as a god can screw with the physics of soulmates. But sensible, wholesome me will try to not make Ryoma’s life too sad because… I feel like the concept would be a lie in that case.


	9. Chapter 9

Leo thought long and hard about what he had done to provoke such an extreme reaction from Takumi.

First, he pinpointed the moment Takumi’s wrath surfaced to when he mentioned the armor. Takumi had described the subsequent struggles with a seemingly firsthand understanding that brought attention to himself and implied his role as the victim.

Second, Leo considered how it was that Takumi had found his soulmate, but that they were absent or unaware. This suggested that this person was also carrying a partially evolved mark or less. Leo was among this population.

Lastly, Takumi final remark was quite… personal. He had been quick to blame Leo for something he thought he had no part in. Leo _specifically_ was a big dumb fool. Not Nohrians, not the soldiers who took part in the practice of wearing uncharmed metals, and not anyone else. This was Leo’s transgression, and his alone.

Leo should have been ridden with guilt, but instead he found hope.

He reviewed the times he and Takumi had come in contact: they’d scuffed shoulders, knocked arms, and kicked at each other’s legs. They’d clung desperately to each other—or Leo held on desperately to Takumi— _once_. But had Leo ever touched Takumi’s neck?

Wait. Their very first encounter at the border, which Leo so wished had never happened. He wasn’t sure what came first: pushing Takumi’s body down, holding him there with his own weight, or nearly asphyxiating him with the hand to his throat.

But that, then, left a possibility.

He needed to speak with Takumi right away.

 

* * *

 

Ah, jeez.

This isn’t how Takumi wanted Leo to find out.

Leo had to know by now, right? Takumi was obvious enough about it earlier that night.

Takumi lay awake on his cot, replaying his outburst over and over and over again in his mind. He was embarrassed about the whole thing, sure—but his anger also felt justified with what little regard his own soulmate had for him.

On the up side: Takumi’s disfigured mark was by no means the result of an intrinsic fault in his being. The lingering darkness was artificial, an illusion. His colors were real.

Takumi tossed and turned, restless. It felt wrong to have left Leo the way he did. He should probably explain himself soon, before things got out of hand. Takumi wasn’t sure if he was ready for the rest of the army to learn of their connection. He didn’t take Leo for a blabbermouth, but he could think of one or two people around him who liked to gossip.

He rubbed his face in his hands, tired and anxious and finally deciding to do something about it. He groaned and dropped his hands heavily at his sides, then rolled out of his cot. He dressed appropriately to leave his quarters, tied his trusty bandana around his neck, and gathered his hair into his trademark ponytail. He poked his head out of his tent to scout for any sleepless souls wandering the camp at midnight, and was startled to see none other than Prince Leo himself standing a meter away, mumbling awkwardly to himself with his back facing Takumi.

Takumi quickly glanced left then right, and seeing that there were no witnesses present, he grabbed Leo by the wrist and pulled him into his tent.

“ _What_ are you doing here?!” Takumi hissed.

“I-I was going to apologize,” Leo answered, taking a step backward, deeper into Takumi’s tent.

“No,” Takumi said, stepping forward, “ _I_ was going to apologize to _you_.”

“Oh, no. No, no—” Leo’s heel banged against the frame of Takumi’s cot. “You’re the one who deserves it more.”

“I yelled at you.”

“And I deceived you.”

“I was just angry.”

“I was oblivious.”

“It wasn’t your fault—”

“But it was—!”

Leo had begun to shout. Takumi covered his mouth with his hand.

“Let’s try to avoid any rumors, okay?” he whispered. “I don’t think it’s a good time for everyone to learn about us.”

Leo gingerly pulled Takumi’s fingers away from his face. In a quiet voice, he asked, “How long did you know we were soulmates?”

Takumi let his hand rest in Leo’s hold. “Since the day we met. I hated you for it. And it got worse before it got better.”

“I’m sorry. If I could have anticipated this…”

“Why didn’t you kill me back then?”

Leo lamented the loss of Takumi’s hand as he slipped it out of his grasp. He answered, “Something told me I shouldn’t. I don’t think I could have, even if I wanted to. Not that I did.”

Takumi nodded slowly. “So what do you want to do? Are you fine with this? With me?”

Leo had imagined some of the first steps he would take with his soulmate once they found each other, but his fantasies were always with unidentified sweethearts who had no name, face, or voice. Now that he knew it was _Takumi_ and he was right in front of him… Leo’s head was a bit of a mess.

“I… don’t know,” he answered dumbly. “I would have liked for us to date. I think.”

Takumi raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really? Leo, second prince of Nohr, would be so inclined to date _me_? And is it just because he learned tonight that we are—by some intangible, insurmountable, inescapable force—“

“No, Takumi, listen—“

“— _destined_ to be—?”

“—I like you.”

“What?”

“I like you,” Leo repeated. “Independent of the marks. My mark hasn’t changed, as you can see. But I fell for you anyway. My feelings are deeper than the colors we carry on our skin. Somehow, I know that I am yours, and… if you don’t mind, I would like you to be mine.”

Takumi’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Then, he said, “One moment, please,” and rummaged through his things. He lit the lantern on his little camp-grade desk, sat himself on the chair next to it, and placed his hand pensively on his chin, looking thoroughly disturbed.

“You like me?” he said.

“Yes,” Leo answered.

“So you want us to date.”

“Yes.”

Takumi's mouth formed a long and silent  _Wooow_. Then, he smiled at Leo and said, “Okay. Let’s date. But… I have one request.”

“I’m listening.”

“We will wait until after the war. Tell no one about what exists between us. For now, act like nothing has changed. I think it will be easier that way.”

Leo wanted to protest, but because he could understand where Takumi was coming from, he agreed and said, “It’s a promise, then? We’ll be together.”

“You have my word.”

 

* * *

 

A soulmate was a weakness. A sentence. An unnecessary burden that shackled you to an arbitrary someone for all of eternity. 

...Or so Takumi once thought.

Now, he felt strangely empowered. Maybe it was the hope of a brighter future. Or maybe it was the new uniform, a new look. A new perspective. Takumi wanted to be strong, to be able to protect himself and those he loved. A class change seemed like a good idea, and the added mobility would be a godsend in Valla.

Takumi examined his reflection in a private room in the back of the armory. The headdress was a bit too flashy, but it was standard and carried the weight of enduring tradition. His clothes weren’t as baggy as what he was used to, but by no means was his range of motion compromised, and the design was certainly more aerodynamic. The collar of the kinshi knight uniform was not high enough to conceal his mark completely, but Takumi found what was left exposed oddly charming. Those splotches of violet, red, and green made it seem as though little foxgloves and vibrant zinnias were blossoming around his neck and out of his clothes. He looked like a man with a story to tell, but it was one he would keep between him and his soulmate. For now.

And so, when Takumi went out to meet his allies that morning and they all ogled at his changed appearance, sans the dark blue bandana they’d all grown accustomed to seeing him with, they asked about the color of his mark and who had found him. Takumi only smiled sweetly—in an almost mocking way, as if he alone was privy to knowledge of immeasurable value—and said, “It’s a secret.”

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still no chill

Takumi was positively lethal, and Leo felt _very_ lucky to be fighting on his side. Reina had done a spectacular job turning him into an angel of death, what with his keen eye and terrifying accuracy. Hell, Sakura had even mentioned before that they slipped into a deeprealm once or twice to fit in some extra training time, and brought Hinoka along to whip him into shape with the naginata. Takumi had already taken out dozens of Anankos’ puppets, and the ones that survived his arrows were impaired enough for the melee fighters to finish the job with ease.

The problem was that they kept on coming.

To the army’s horror, Anankos seemed to have an endless supply of cadavers to reanimate. His puppets were dead but they were still human, and even though they didn’t bleed their skin could still be torn to shreds, limbs bent into unnatural shapes, and organs ripped out of their original packaging.

The army had split off into groups, and as the reinforcements came they spread farther and thinner, until Leo found himself cornered at the edge of their crumble of floating earth. He had thrown every kind of spell he had at the mage, but even Brynhildr’s effect was piffling. He then realized that her proficiency with magic allowed her to divert his own, so he had to strike with brawn. Leo drew his sword and charged toward her, barely deflecting her final spell—or thinking he did—when he pierced her chest and ended her with his blade. The mage bubbled into the air as undead Vallites typically did. Leo lost his balance and teetered off his horse. Soon after, his horse fell heavily to the ground and landed on its side.

The magic that hit them was a despicable kind. Upon examination, Leo’s horse suffered crushed ribs and mangled organs, with blood collecting into a pool underneath it. Its armor carried hardly a dent, but magical and physical attacks were distinct for a reason. His horse had been slaughtered.

The mage’s spell had also penetrated the armor covering Leo’s shin. On the exterior, everything was in place, but blood oozed out from his leg below his knee, and he could not move his foot. He hoped there weren’t comminuted fractures, but the appearance of his horse was no consolation, and gave him a wave of nauseous revulsion.

Leo tried to fashion himself a splint out of Brynhildr’s vines and branches. He cried out from the pain of shifting his crushed bones, and when he was able to put enough weight on his feet to stand, he limped his way toward someone, anyone—a healer, _please_ —but he could not see through the throng of enemies before him, nor could he distinguish his comrades from them. His vision was blurring. Where was Elise? Was Princess Sakura nearby? Niles carried a staff now, too, didn’t he?

They were all too far away, and Leo was rapidly growing weaker. A faceless not far off reared its ugly head and lumbered its way toward him. Leo burned it, pierced it, tore it apart and scorched it again to protect himself; but he was left drained.

How much farther could he go? His good leg was a hair’s breadth away from giving out. He shouted for help, but was drowned out by the screams of his comrades and the guttural growls of the faceless.

This couldn’t be the end, could it? There was so much more he wanted to do. He had yet to offer to buy Niles a pretty glass eye and to hear Odin tell stories about his life before Nohr—to torment Xander about his pseudo-incestuous romance and to congratulate Corrin on conquering the strongest man in Nohr (himself aside, _obviously_ ). He wanted to gloat to Elise about how he finally found his soulmate and tell Camilla that everything in the world wasn’t as wrong as he thought it was.

He wanted his future with Takumi, but it seemed so far away now.

Leo thought about broken promises, whispered a name, and collapsed.

 

* * *

 

Something did not feel right. At _all_.

Takumi couldn’t explain what, but he felt it rattling in his bones and twisting his gut as if he was facing death itself. He was confused. His body _looked_ fine, save for some minor cuts and burns, but this anxiety gnawed at him relentlessly from the inside.

When the area directly below him was clear, he began to roam, scouting the area and checking on his allies. Corrin was facing Anankos head on with the help of Ryoma and Xander, and the fell dragon god’s resources were finally wearing thin. By now, the army had the upper hand.

But why did Takumi feel so uneasy?

He flew on, letting arrows loose upon the faceless and the hazy purple silhouettes he passed, wary of the tired aches in the muscles of his arms and back. Everything on the ground seemed to be at a level of violence and injury that he at least knew his allies could fight through.

With one exception.

There was an unmoving body lying flat on the ground that Takumi immediately recognized.

“Leo,” he whispered.

He urged his kinshi down and down it dove. Takumi leapt off it before it had even touched the ground and ran to Leo’s side. He was relieved to find him alive, but worry returned when he realized how just weak Leo had become.

Takumi helped him sit up. “Leo, what happened? How’d you get all the way out here?”

His head lolled to the side as he murmured, “My leg… broken… magic…”

“Where’s your horse?”

Leo gagged, and Takumi assumed.

Takumi looked at Leo’s afflicted leg and found it wrapped in vines and branches. He also saw the blood that stained them a fresh, deep red.

“Oh gods. Oh, Leo. You’re fucking bleeding. Shit.” He searched his person frantically and procured a half-empty vulnerary.

“This is all I have,” he told Leo. He planned to apply it directly to his wounds, but the armor— _What use was all this freaking armor?!—_ would probably act as a barrier to the liquid. But Leo’s leg was also wrapped in vines and just _how long would it take to get all of that off_? Takumi conjured an arrow that should have been meant for the Fujin Yumi and attempted to slice Brynhildr’s greenery with its sharpened edge, but his arrows dissipated on contact.

Takumi weighed his options. He considered ambulating Leo to one of the healers on his kinshi, but Takumi himself had a hard enough time staying mounted, and Leo seemed too weak to hold onto him properly. He assessed whether the damage warranted the use of a tourniquet, but that meant Leo would lose the leg.

With shaking hands, Takumi doused Leo’s leg with whatever he had left of the vulnerary, hoping it could abate the bleeding and buy him some more time. “Leo, I’m going to get a healer.”

Leo’s hand clutched his sleeve. “No, don’t leave me.”

Takumi pried his fingers off and sternly replied, “I have to. You’re dying and I’m not a healer.” He was relieved to see the flow of blood slowing, but it did not stop, and that made every second crucial. “I’m going to bring Sakura or Elise. Hey!” Takumi took Leo's face in his hands. “Stay awake. I’m not letting you go, okay?”

“I don’t want—to die.”

“You’re not going to.” Takumi surveyed the area and eyed a pile of rubble he could hide Leo by in case Anankos sent another wave upon them. “Can you walk?”

Leo grunted, and Takumi took that as a “Yes, but barely.” He slung Leo’s arm over his shoulder and carried the brunt of his weight to a secluded area several meters away.

“Don’t you dare die on me,” Takumi told Leo, his voice uneven and strained. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you and if you leave me now I swear…”

Leo chuckled and said that they were soulmates, and Takumi worried that he had already gone into shock.

As he set Leo down, Takumi said, “I’m going to get help now. Don’t fall asleep. Do you hear me?”

Without waiting for Leo’s response—or perhaps fearing that he was no longer able to respond—Takumi called to his kinshi in a language Leo didn’t understand, and he flew away.

A few short moments later, Leo heard the gallop of a horse. Elise met Leo in tears and hastened to fix him. His leg still hurt. He felt cold. Elise was not with Takumi. Odin had come instead.

Behind them, Leo saw the blue arrows of the Fujin Yumi light up the bleak sky like shooting stars.

He closed his eyes and made a wish.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter total changed from 11 to 12. A short chapter will follow. It was supposed to be together with this one but I am struggling so much with the last ~200 words of this chapter which is already 1.8k words without it (the longest chapter thus far). Like, I've had most of this written for one week but I just can't figure out the ending. I have an idea of it but it just doesn't seem good anymore. Maybe I've just reached that point where I've thought about it so much that I can't get excited about it. That's my least favorite thing about writing. Tbh I think about this fic all the time and i just can't with my current workload so i want it to be over :') 
> 
> @Spaghetti_fangirl: no  
> @Vitalia_Amity: i did it bc he had to get balanced with all the shit i threw at takumi the past 9 chapters ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

After the war, King Ryoma befriended a woman from the countryside who was the only survivor from her village. Though he did not initially see her as a potential spouse he found himself drawn to her, as the colors on her left hand told a story whose tragedy rivaled—perhaps even surpassed—his own. Years later, Ryoma would ask her to be his queen, and Mozu would prove to be a kind and dutiful wife.

When Hoshido’s main plaza completed its repairs and the square regained some form of normalcy, Kaze proposed to Princess Azura. He proclaimed that if it wasn’t for her educating him on the glory of flower crowns, his colors would not have revealed themselves on his temples, nor hers on her lovely fingertips, and he would not have had the chance to stand beside the love of his life as he did that day.

Though Azama had vocalized his skepticism on the construct of marriage on more than one occasion, he proposed rather excitedly to Princess Hinoka several months after the war. She described it as a bit of a disappointment; in the past, Azama had laid out elaborate schemes of how one could trick his romantic target into accepting a proposal into matrimony with a clever play of words. Azama argued that their being soulmates robbed them of the critical element of surprise, but he at least used this constraint to prepare a sincere and heartfelt offer to live the rest of their lives together with inordinate amounts of unremitting happiness.

Princess Sakura traveled frequently between the Hoshidan capital and the Mountain of Fox Spirits. Kaden was always prepared to receive her with the biggest of smiles and the loudest of cheers, and when he traveled to Hoshido he made sure to bring her family gifts just as nice as those his people received from Sakura, if not nicer.

Contrary to popular speculation, Princess Camilla and Niles did _not_ get hitched as soon as possible. Camilla wanted to spend more time with the family she had before creating one of her own, and the two felt no need to rush into things. And though Niles’ manner of speech took a rather liberal turn around the Nohrian royalty, the castle soon became keenly aware of just how short his leash really was.

Princess Elise and Silas took their relationship slow. The knight was guilty for overindulging Elise on occasion, but was always sure to keep his own behavior in check. Indeed, if he ever overstepped his boundaries, he could rest assured that his castration would be ordered by the Nohrian King himself.

King Xander of Nohr wedded Queen Corrin of Valla soon after their coronations, both of which concluded approximately a month after the war. Then, one month later, Corrin’s baby bump began to show. When she visited Castle Krakenburg and gave her siblings the news, they estimated that she had been gravid for three months. This carried some… _curious_ implications regarding their premarital life—which Prince Leo capitalized upon.

With his brother well in earshot, Leo whistled low and said, “King Xander, you sure work fast.”

This brought a deep flush to Xander’s cheeks, and he did not dare try to explain his actions, or else risk digging himself a deeper grave (read: “ditch”) for Camilla to toss him into.

During his recovery, Prince Leo quickly became known as the most abled disabled person in Nohr. Those that dwelled in Castle Krakenburg were aware that the legendary tome Brynhildr was capable of manipulating gravity. As such, Leo used its magic almost constantly to simplify his daily tasks and to save the staff the trouble of assigning him an attendant. For example, during the time he traveled on crutches, he tended to use these spells to cheat his way up the staircases by altering the force of Earth’s downward pull on his body. He used the magic so frequently that he unwittingly developed a small, baseline level of antigravity, and for a while the castle’s scales could not tell him how much he actually weighed.

Leo omitted many of these details in the letters he sent to Prince Takumi, but his dear boyfriend learned of his medical noncompliance soon enough. For some time the healers had been concerned about Leo’s potential overexertion, and how much his pride would cost him in the long run; magic could only do so much, and if he wanted his impaired leg to continue to grow at the same rate as his good one, Leo would need more patience with the natural course of healing.

Upon reading this in the healers’ letter, Takumi groaned, “You mean he’s going to get even _taller_?”  

(Notably, Prince Takumi was a bit of a running joke to the healers. His hasty use of the vulnerary became a lesson against the use of such potions for anything other than superficial abrasions, as bits of Leo’s bones had fused in the wrong places. Still, they attributed Takumi’s quick thinking to why Leo had survived, and underneath the guise of mockery they were grateful.)

In any case, Takumi traveled to Nohr in autumn, shortly after the healers snitched on their beloved prince. Takumi’s official purpose was to negotiate the country’s treaties with Hoshido, but his unofficial purpose was to serve as Leo’s uncompromising babysitter. The two had been elated to see each other again, but since there was much to do after the conclusion of the war, they ended up spending much of their time together in meetings—so much time that when the days were over and they could finally retire to the haven that was Leo’s room, they fell fast asleep with Takumi fitting comfortably into Leo’s embrace and vice versa.

They shared their first kiss on a night quite like this.

Takumi returned to Hoshido in time to avoid the worst part of the harsh Nohrian winter. By then, Leo’s leg had healed considerably, and he could do mostly anything he pleased without worrying the healers or his siblings. When spring came, Leo traveled to Hoshido and received a warm welcome from Takumi at the capital. They chatted incessantly on the way to Castle Shirasagi. After Leo greeted the other members of the Hoshidan royalty, thanking them for letting him stay, and presenting them gifts from Nohr, Takumi showed Leo and his retainers their rooms and offered to give Leo a quick tour. Takumi noticed that Leo walked with a slight limp. Leo caught him staring, and tried harder to pick up his lame foot.

“I’m alive because of you,” Leo was quick to say.

“Okay, okay.” Takumi would dismiss the conversation, but Leo was well aware that Takumi was the type to blame himself for things he shouldn’t.

When night came and the castle’s inhabitants retired to their personal chambers, Leo found himself comfortable but also _very_ bored. Something in Takumi’s tone during the tour had him thinking that Takumi wouldn’t mind his company, so he crept out of his room and lurked to Takumi’s, and found his boyfriend sitting comfortably at his desk with his nose buried in a book. Waiting.

“You came,” Takumi said, the corners of his mouth pulling his lips into a wide grin.

“How could you think I would be satisfied with a room of my own?” Leo replied, sliding the door shut behind him and walking over to stand behind Takumi. “I was lonely, you know.”

Takumi returned his attention to his book. “Sorry, just give me one more minute. I’m almost done with this chapter.”

Now, it should be noted that Leo and Takumi had not yet become public about their relationship. To most, they seemed like a pair of best friends. To a few—specifically their families—they seemed like something more, but something that no one had the nerve to confront either of them about. The stigma against courting anyone other than one’s soulmate was still prevalent, and nobody wanted to accuse either of them and risk offending them or their reputations.

The princes’ actions did not belie this ruse, for the most part. They’d hardly a chance to do anything more intimate than exchanging goodnight and goodmorning kisses, which were admittedly sweet but also short-lived.

Leo had missed Takumi dearly after his departure, and though he had dreamt of those lips and imagined the shape of this body next to his on many nights since, he was now utterly fixated on Takumi’s partially colored mark—the mark that should have labeled Takumi as his but that Leo’s own mark rejected. For a while now, his fingers itched to touch Takumi’s neck, but he just couldn’t find the right timing. He consoled himself with the thought that there was no rush since they both _knew_ , but he was also haunted by the fear that his colors had missed their time to show and never would.

Leo wondered if Takumi knew that blue was among the most difficult colors to produce in nature. Brynhildr couldn’t make blue pigment. He’d tried. Maybe if Leo said this aloud it would comfort Takumi.

Leo raised his hand to the back of Takumi’s neck, the blackened pads of his fingertips edging closer and closer to his mark. Leo began to hold his breath…

Takumi slammed his book shut and turned to look at him.

Leo pretended that his intention was to fix a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

If Takumi realized what Leo had tried to do, he showed no indication of it. “Did you only come up here so we could share a bed again?” he asked, standing to gaze into Leo’s eyes. His body would have been pressed against Leo’s if he hadn’t taken a step back.

“Oh, definitely,” Leo answered coolly. “I must also subject you to the torture of how large one’s bed feels once their favorite pillow is gone.” He glanced a little lower, to the lips he so desired to feel pressed against his own, and murmured, “But perhaps that’s not the _only_ reason…”

Leo’s only warning was the twitch of Takumi’s eyebrow and the way he bit his lower lip (gods, that was _hot_ ) before Takumi reached for Leo’s face and pulled him in for a kiss.

Leo closed his eyes to savor every sensation of him, from the textures of the calluses on his hands to the wet softness of his mouth and back to those hands—how they eagerly roamed his body—and for a second Leo wondered why Takumi was pushing him away, only to learn that he was actually coaxing him to the bed. Leo lay down, and as Takumi leaned in to have more of Leo’s mouth he took Leo’s hands in his, led them to his face, and dragged them down his neck and onto his increasingly exposed torso.

Takumi left the bed once after that, just to put out the light.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i know it's problematic that they waited that long  
> no i don't want to change it
> 
> and no they did not do the nasty, in case you thought
> 
> I will reply to comments directly from now on.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This feels more like an epilogue but because it addresses a major plot point I guess it is more of a chapter.
> 
> If I was to go back and change anything, I would probably first change Chapter 11. Takumi and Leo would explain to their families what happened with their marks right after the war ended. The reason I didn't write it this way is if that was the case, there would be no reason for them not to immediately test out pressing their marks together, and... I wanted to write this scene/the ending scene from the last chapter. It's still weak but I had some fun so eh
> 
> I also feel like this chapter ended prematurely but it's looked like this for over a week and I still can't decide what to follow it with.
> 
> Despite my shortcomings, I hope you enjoyed this story!

Soulmate markings labeled pairs of people who were fated to live as one in spirit. There were no recorded cases of erroneous markings; every such connection proved its strength with time, and the case of Prince Takumi of Hoshido and Prince Leo of Nohr was no exception.

It proceeded as follows:

 

* * *

 

“Takumi.”

His name was barely more than a whisper, just enough to break through the heavy spell of slumber.

“Takumi, wake up.”

He groaned and brushed off the hand that shook his shoulder. Takumi had slept very well that evening, and was reluctant to leave his sweet-dream land.

“This is important.” Leo shook him again.

Takumi blinked his bleary eyes as they adjusted to the morning sun and to the proximity of his soulmate’s face. Leo was wearing a huge, goofy grin.

“Did you have that dream about the tomato fields again?”

“No,” Leo shoved his open hand a scant distance away from Takumi’s face. “Look at this.”

He did, and Takumi immediately shot up to a sitting position, cradling Leo’s right hand and running his fingers down the lines of his palm.

Leo had blue— _blues_ , plural—smeared onto the right aspect of his palm. They ranged from pale snow to deep space, with hundreds of tiny deposits of precious aquamarine, lapis, and sapphire, submerged in pools of vibrant cobalt and marbled azurite.

“Colors,” Takumi whispered, and as Leo eyed the hues in his soulmate’s partially evolved mark he had the thought that Takumi was the sky, the sea, and the heart of a roaring flame.

“I have them, too?” Takumi asked, touching his neck.

“Uh-huh,” Leo sang. He moved Takumi’s hand away and added, “Don’t cover it. It looks lovely.”

“Leo,” Takumi said gravely. His tone puzzled Leo, and he was thrown for a loop when Takumi pushed him down, grabbed his wrists, and demanded:

“Touch me more.”

Startled into rebellion, Leo exclaimed, “What? _No_!”

“No?! What do you mean, ‘ _no_ ’? Just touch me!”

“Takumi, this is an _extremely_ rare occurrence. We cannot let this opportunity for scientific investigation slide. We must take our time and carefully document the changes in—”

“Nuh-uh. None of that.” Takumi leaned in closer to where Leo kept his hands fixed in front of him. “Get those hands on me right this instant, young man.”

Leo balled them into fists. “I refuse.”

“Come on, don’t be shy.” Takumi attempted to pry Leo’s fingers open, and tilted his head so Leo could get a better look at his mark. “Right here, baby. Riiight here.”

“Oh, gods!” Leo cried, and his laughter spilled out then. “Release me, you fiend!”

“No way! You’re mine now!” Takumi gritted through his smile, having gotten Leo’s right hand open and a mere inch away from his throat. Leo continued to struggle—more for his pride than for anything else—until Takumi suddenly intertwined their fingers and looked down at Leo with a gentle expression.

“I’m glad it’s you,” he said.

Smitten by those beautiful brown eyes, Leo murmured, “Yeah… Me, too.”

“Do you really want to wait?” Takumi asked softly. “I will if you want to.”

Leo could practically hear the unsaid _“But I don’t want to,”_ so he shook his head, relaxed his hands, and sat up. “No, I’d rather do this now.”

“Are you sure?”

Leo offered his right hand.

“You do it,” Takumi said.

“A-alright.”

Hesitantly, Leo placed his fingertips—and only his fingertips—onto the part of Takumi’s mark that seemed to fit them perfectly. Takumi winced.

“Sensitive?”

“S-shut up.”

Leo barely dragged his fingers over the spot when he paused to ask, “Do you think I can draw pictures in it?”

“Oh my god, Leo, just _freaking_ —”

“Okay, okay.” He pressed his hand fully to its multicolored imprint. “How long should I leave it there?”

“How should I know?”

“Well if you’d only allowed me take the _slow_ , heuristic approach—”

Takumi groaned. He removed Leo’s hand from his neck, and both were transfixed by the changes happening before them.

“You’re glowing,” Takumi said, watching the pale blue lights fade into flat greens, reds, and yellows on Leo’s palm. “ _Were_ glowing,” he corrected.

Leo’s eyes were wide. “You’re still glowing.”

“What?!”

“Well, it’s fading, but… wow.” Leo smiled and looked into Takumi’s eyes. “You’re amazing.”

Takumi scoffed, “Oh, what now,” and rolled his eyes.

“You _are_.” Leo leaned in and dotted kisses on Takumi’s cheek—“You’re stunning”—on his jawline—“wonderful”—on his neck—“adorable”—he went in for the lips—“my _soulmate_ —”

“Hey—that tickles!” Takumi fell backward in a fit of laughter. “Alright, I get it!” He fended off his doting adversary. “Ugh, you have morning breath, you know.”

“So do you,” Leo replied. But that didn’t stop him.

 

* * *

 

With all the noise they made that morning, they had a lot of explaining to do at breakfast.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative endings for this chapter are (1) Ryoma comes to Takumi's door asking what all the noise is about, or (2) Oboro and Niles are whispering outside tryna figure out wtf is going on until one of them barges in
> 
> I wrote in my notes that Leo and Takumi coincidentally have wedding rings made for each other around the same time, so when Takumi proposes to Leo, Leo just kind of stands there and says, "Takumi, do you remember during the war, when everyone used to call us 'the twins'?" And then he aLSO GETS DOWN ON ONE KNEE what losers omfg 
> 
> I also have an abridged version of this fic. It goes,  
>  _Takumi: "touch me"_  
>  _Leo: *gay gasp*_
> 
> that's it, that's the au


End file.
